This invention relates to a polishing apparatus and, in particular, to a polishing apparatus with which a polishing tape can be used efficiently and contacted at an arbitrary angle to a surface being polished.
Edge surfaces of an object, such as a semiconductor wafer, are usually polished by rubbing them with a polishing pad or the like by using a coating slurry (or a loose abrasive) comprising abrasive grains and a solvent, just like its upper and lower main surfaces. If such a slurry is used, however, the liquid, such as water which is used, must be cleaned after the polishing process so as not to have any slurry left therein. If the slurry remains in the water, the slurry formed on the water surface may cause a device failure. Moreover, since such slurry is usually alkaline, the waste water after the polishing process cannot be discarded freely without a chemical treatment. If the waste water must be treated, furthermore, it adversely affects both the time and costs required for the process.